


Wonderbat Keywords 2019

by LOTSlover



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Love Confessions, Romance, Sexy Times, Squee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-11 17:45:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19931998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LOTSlover/pseuds/LOTSlover
Summary: Diana returns to Themyscira to sort out her feelings for a certain Dark Knight only for him to unexpectedly follow her there. BMWW #WonderbatKeyWords2019





	1. Balance

Balance

 _“Love is a meeting of two souls, fully accepting the dark and the light within each other, bound by the courage to grow through struggle into bliss.”_ ~ Unknown

Diana rolled over in her bed, her raven hair splaying across her shoulders. She rested on her abdomen, her arms wrapping around her pillow as she gazed out the window of her bedroom. The ocean breeze caused the gossamer material framing her window to flutter softly. She inhaled deeply, savoring the salty scent of the water that drifted into her room.

It was still a few hours before the sun would be making its first appearance of the day, rising over the ocean. She decided long ago that mornings on Themyscira were her favorite…the thing that she found she missed most with living on the Watchtower. While she loved the amazing view of the Earth that the Watchtower provided, there was something so serene and soothing about waking up on the island she had spent most her life on.

Her blue eyes fell closed as the heaviness in her heart grew a little more pronounced as she thought of the Watchtower and the friends that she had left behind on it, a certain individual forcing his way to the forefront of her thoughts. Of course, the heaviness had never actually left her since arriving here. It was always lingering right there on the periphery of her thoughts or dancing along the fraying seam of her feelings. She knew that she was going to have to deal with it sooner or later. She had hoped for much later, but she had put it off long enough.

“No use staying in bed,” she grumbled to herself, knowing that no more sleep would come to her.

With a resigned sigh, Diana threw the covers off her and climbed out of bed, walking over to her window. She stood outlined by the sheer curtains that continued to rise and fall with the shifting of the Mediterranean winds. Darkness blanketed the landscape, the moon still looming above the ocean as if refusing to disappear from its commanding position in the sky.

She had left Man’s World and returned to her island home to help recapture her focus, to remind herself of who she was and find the balance that she felt was sorely missing in her life. She had tried to tell herself that everyone needed some time away to recharge, but she knew that it was far more than that.

It always was when it came to him. Complicated…always so very complicated.

While she knew her leave from the Justice League was temporary, the last three weeks away had created an even deeper ache and an overwhelming desire to return to the life that she had made for herself as well as the people that had come to mean so much to her, but one person specifically. Unfortunately, she had resolved nothing so far during the last three weeks of escape from the real world.

She scowled to herself with the errant thought. She hadn’t escaped from Man’s World. She was a warrior from her conception and trained as such from the moment she could hold a sword. She didn’t run away from anything, not the enemy and certainly not from her heart. She was merely here to sort out some things that she had been struggling with for far too long.

Her lips pursed into a thin line as she drew a deep breath through her nose. She’d spent this precious time away doing everything but facing her feelings or her heart—training extensively, spending time with her mother, catching up with her sisters, swimming in the ocean, spending time in prayer to her goddesses in an effort to refocus her spirit. 

She wanted to recommit herself to her mission to spread the ideals and beliefs of the Amazons. She wanted to remember why she had left her island and the only life that she had ever known to enter into a world that was so foreign to her in almost every way imaginable. She wanted to find that inner light and spirit that had dimmed over the last several months.

She’d grown exhausted, weary in doing what she knew was right. She had grown restless for things to be different, but she knew that forcing them to change wasn’t the answer. Force was not something that he responded very well to nor would she ever want to do that to him. She respected him far too much.

She was weary to the bone…heart-weary of the tug o’ war…the dance of tango that seemed to have no end, no resolution in sight. There was a seemingly constant struggle between her heart and mind, between want and duty, between him and her. 

There was an endless stream of questions and doubts that clouded her thoughts, casting dark shadows over her spirit. She was at a crossroads of sort, a proverbial fork in the road and she knew that she needed to finally decide which path she was going to take. 

Should she take the path to the right—the one that was wide and free of obstacles and risks? Or should she take the path to the left—the one that was dark and narrow and riddled with difficulties and complications…possible heartache and headaches?

Either path had the possibility of leading to great things, the happiness and contentment that she was longing for, but which path was right for her? What exactly awaited her at the end of the path on the left if she chose to pursue him?

Straightening her shoulders, Diana turned and made her way to the center of her room. She sat cross-legged on the floor, closing her eyes to think and to attempt some meditation exercises in order to help clear her mind. She was determined to find that balance between body, heart, mind, and soul that frustratingly remained just beyond her grasp lately.

“Flash to Wondy.”

The corner of Diana’s lips quirked with the unexpected voice that filled her ear and invaded her thoughts. “Good morning, Wally,” she calmly replied.

“Hiya, Wondy,” he excitedly yet softly greeted her as if contacting her in secret. “I know Supes said we’re not allowed to contact you while you’re on leave, but I really miss you. It’s been three freaking weeks already.”

“It’s okay, Wally,” she reassured him, her eyes still closed. “I was just starting some morning exercises.”

“When are you coming home?” he asked her, sounding like a little kid who could hardly wait till Christmas. “It’s just not the same around here without you. Everyone is kind of gloomy and Bats is just downright terrifying. Everyone is too petrified to talk to him. He’s been taking everyone’s head off since you left. His Bat boxers are definitely twisted and out of sorts.”

Diana’s smile turned into a contemplative frown, her eyebrows furrowing with concern. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I just need a little more time away. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Okay, I understand,” Wally sullenly said with a sigh. “I hope you’re okay. It was good to hear your voice.”

“You too,” she told him. “Give everyone my love.”

“Will do…and I’ll even tell Bats. Maybe that will cheer him up,” he quipped. “Flash out.”

Diana drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly between slightly parted lips. While it had been good to hear from her friend, it brought up a wealth of emotions inside of her that bubbled up like a powerful geyser set to erupt at any moment. 

More than one of her sisters had taken quite a beating the last two weeks thanks in part to her trying to appease that geyser rippling inside of her. Phillipus and Artemis were the only two sisters that would still spar or train with her now, the others still nursing a wounded pride or physical wounds.

Diana attempted to clear her mind, forcing all outside thoughts from her mind. She focused instead on her breathing, the slow and steady tempo of her heart…the way that her lungs expanded only to release the breath a moment later.

Drawing in another breath, she immediately noticed a new, familiar scent that had not been present just moments before. There was a definite, subtle shift in the ocean breeze entering through her window, one that caused her entire body to grow tense with a wave of apprehension mingled a nervous flutter in the pit of her stomach.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the heat of his gaze raking over her skin, roaming over every inch of her as he studied her. He had yet to say a word and yet there was some much that needed to be said. The problem was that he continually refused to say it.

After several long moments, Diana’s eyelids finally fluttered open, her gaze lifting to find the foreboding outline of the Dark Knight of Gotham filling her window. He presented a very imposing figure with his stance, one that always affected her, but never in the way that he usually intended.

They stared at each other for several long moments, each waiting for the other to speak. Diana finally took the initiative, unable to quell her curiosity a moment longer. “Hello, Bruce,” she softly said as she gazed up at him.

“We need to talk,” he curtly stated in that no-nonsense way of his, his voice razor-sharp.

She stared at him with a look of resignation, knowing that he wasn’t going to leave until he’d said his peace. He’d risked his life by coming to Themyscira, leaving behind his beloved city in order to see her. The problem remained—was what he had to say what she wanted to hear?


	2. Adoration

Adoration

 _“The entire world was in love with her; so there was no mystery why I loved her too. The magic was in how she sifted through all that adoration and found me to love me back.”_ ~ Leo Christopher

Batman stood transfixed as if held captive by a magical spell that had been wielded by the Amazon princess sitting cross-legged on the floor before him except for the fact that he knew she didn’t possess such abilities. She didn’t need to possess an ability like that. She was completely captivating in nothing more than a nearly sheer chiton that seemed to perfectly outline her curves.

It left little to the imagination and yet just enough to be utterly tantalizing. The gossamer material whispered against her breasts with each breath she drew, luring him in and mesmerizing him. It had been far too long since he’d seen her and now that he was finally here, he found that he couldn’t move or speak.

Her bright blue eyes opened at that moment, sapphire orbs falling on him and causing his breath to catch in his throat. They stared at each for a long moment, one that was fraught with so much tension and a surging undercurrent of electricity that he was certain she had felt as well. It was impossible not to. He felt it every time he was near her.

“Hello, Bruce,” she softly said as she gazed up at him.

“We need to talk,” he curtly stated in that no-nonsense way of his, his tone razor-sharp despite the fact that his heart was in his throat.

She instantly noticed his rigid stance that caused him to appear more statue than human, the way his hands were clenched tightly at his sides as if prepared for a fight, and the determined set of his jaw. “You know you shouldn’t be here,” she told him, stating the obvious as her eyes closed to resume her meditation exercises.

“Neither should you,” he bluntly countered.

She released a sigh, her lips pursing as she contemplated how best to handle the tenuous situation. “This is my home, Bruce,” she tried again, her eyes still closed with her hands resting on her knees.

“No, it’s not…not anymore,” he insisted, trying to force himself to relax his stance. He hadn’t come here to fight with her. “Your home is with us and you know it, Diana.”

Her right eyebrow rose with the unexpected response, her eyelids finally opening to look at him. “What do you want from me, Bruce?” she asked with a weariness that frightened him, her eyes revealing a hurt and a sense of indifference.

It was as if she was letting go—letting go of the life she had made over the last four years, letting go of her friends and the Justice League, letting go of him. It rattled him senseless, stealing his breath and forcing him to remove his cowl. He’d finally pushed her too far and he knew it.

He tossed his cowl on a nearby table as he drew a deep breath. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it as Bruce, not Batman. “We want you to come home,” he finally told her, his voice losing a measure of the edge that it had held when he’d first arrived.

“We?” she knowingly asked. “We as in the League? Everyone knows I’m on a leave of absence. I don’t know when I’m coming back.”

A low growl rose up from his chest as he glared at her, his patience clearly running thin. “Yes, the League wants you back. We need your leadership as well as your skills as a warrior, princess.”

“Just the League or is it you that wants me to come back?”

Unable to take it any longer, Batman began to pace back and forth before her like a panther that had been cornered with nowhere to run, removing his gauntlets before tossing them on top of his cowl on the table. He knew what she was getting at and he’d been prepared to give her anything and everything including himself on the way here, but now that he was standing here with her, he found it more than difficult to tell her what consumed his heart and mind.

“Yes, damn it,” he angrily growled, unable to look at her. “I want you to come back home. You don’t belong here…not any longer. You belong with us…with me.”

Diana stared at him in wonder, stunned by his admission. “Why now, Bruce?” she asked. “You wouldn’t have admitted as much a month ago. What changed?”

Bruce stopped before her window, keeping his back to her. He couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the moonlight dancing on top of the water off the shore of Themyscira. It was breathtaking to behold, but it did little to settle his restless spirit that refused to give him a moment’s peace until he’d told her everything.

His chin fell to his chest, his eyes falling closed as he drew a shaky breath. Where was the confidence and control that he’d always prided himself in? “These last three weeks without you have been hell,” he softly confessed in a voice that she was certain she’d never heard from him before. It sounded like a scared child talking to her now. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep since you left, not knowing if or when you were coming back. After three weeks, I couldn’t take it any longer. I couldn’t go another day without seeing you…without telling you.”

He momentarily stiffened with the feel of her hand coming to rest against his back. “Tell me what, Bruce?” she gently pressed.

“I…I need you,” he told her, his chest tight and his stomach churning. She was the one person in the world that had been able to begin the process of mending his heart and yet he found it so incredibly difficult. “I don’t want to need you, Diana. I hate the idea of being dependent on anyone, but I can’t help it. I do want you. I need you…I need you with me.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with needing someone, Bruce,” she tried to assure him. “Everyone needs someone in their life. It doesn’t mean your weak or helpless.”

“Needing someone is dangerous for me, princess,” he explained. “Needing you…wanting you makes me vulnerable. If something happened to you…if one of my enemies ever tried to hurt you…”

“I would handle it,” she assured him. “Joker would end up having to carry his teeth home in a bag.”

Bruce shook his head, the corner of his lips ticking up. “Probably, but it’s the what-if’s that still terrify me. I can’t let you in, but I can’t live without you.”

“Bruce, I didn’t take a leave of absence to hurt you or force you into anything,” she revealed. “I needed some time away to think and to decide what I wanted. I felt as though I had somehow lost myself the last several months and I needed to find me again…to sort out my feelings for you.”

“I know and it scared me senseless,” he replied. “I was so afraid you weren’t coming back. I love you, Diana…more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. I don’t want to return home without you with me.”

Diana pressed her forehead against the back of his head, a couple of stray tears escaping and trickling down the back of his neck. Feeling the wetness of her tears, Bruce immediately turned around, wrapping her up in his arms and pulling her close against him. 

He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the intoxicating scent that had been missing from his life for far too long. He hated to admit it to her let alone himself, but he wanted her in his life more than he needed or wanted his next breath. Somehow, she had managed to work her way into his life and his heart, becoming everything that he never knew that he wanted or needed. 

They held onto each other as if they were the only two people in the whole world, clinging to one another and taking solace in what they had found in each other. After several minutes, Diana pulled back to gaze into his eyes, finding the truth of his words reflected there. He was finally opening himself to her, allowing her to see past his walls and every single barrier that he had ever thrown up in her face in order to keep her at a distance.

“I’m so broken, Diana,” he softly murmured, a scowl of self-loathing forming on his face. “I’m not easy to be with. I’m stubborn and brooding. I can be very distant at times and I tend to become obsessed with my work.”

“You think I don’t already know that?” she asked him, her lips quirking in amusement. “I know you, Bruce, and I love you…just the way you are.”

Her hands settled on either side of his jaw, making sure he didn’t try to turn away from her. She knew how hard this was for him to open himself up to her, to be emotionally exposed like this. She slowly leaned in, her lips lightly ghosting over his before finally pressing them to his. It took less than a second for him to respond to her.

Her kiss was warm like the breeze coming off the ocean, her raven curls like the finest spun silk as his fingers tangled in her hair. The heat of the kiss began to grow warmer as he tilted his head, her lips parting in a silent invitation to taste her.

He didn’t hesitate in accepting her request as his hands cradled the back of her head. He deepened the kiss as his tongue thoroughly explored her mouth, finding himself more than anxious to explore every single inch of her, but he wasn’t certain if she was ready for that yet. He had only just confessed that he loved her.

Retreating, Bruce attempted to catch the breath she’d just stolen, his forehead coming to rest against hers. “I just…I don’t understand it,” he breathlessly admitted with an edge of frustration mingled with desire.

“What don’t you understand?” she softly asked, her nose nuzzling his as she stole another kiss. “The fact that no Amazons have come to castrate you yet?”

“No, although that is a very real concern,” he agreed, his eyes falling closed as he continued on. “I don’t understand how you could possibly love me. The whole world adores you, Diana, and yet despite all that adoration, you still chose me above everyone else. You could have your pick of any man on the planet and for some unfathomable reason, you love me…you want to be with me.”

“I don’t want any other man,” she insisted. “You’re the only man that I’ve ever wanted since I’ve came to Man’s World.”

“It just doesn’t make sense,” he retorted. “I’m not someone that you should want to be with, princess. I have…issues…scars on the inside that are too many to count.”

“Who said that love has to make sense?” she questioned him, her hand moving to cover his heart. “Besides, I know this heart and it is the purest that I’ve ever met. It may be damaged, but it holds far more compassion than anyone could ever begin to imagine.”

“But, Diana—”

She abruptly silenced him with a kiss, her lips moving again his in a slow, sensual caress that made his head spin. Breaking the rapidly heating moment, she pressed on. “So many say that you are cold and unfeeling, Bruce, but I know the truth about you no matter how hard you try to hide it. You feel far more than any of us, pouring that emotion into each selfless act every single night in a tireless effort to save your city and avenge your parents. That alone deserves my adoration.”

“I don’t know if I can give you everything you deserve, Diana, but I’m going to try my best,” he promised.

“You are all that I want,” she reassured him. “There’s nothing more that I want or need.”

“I have to admit I still have concerns,” he acknowledged. “I’m afraid that I’m going to drag you into my brooding darkness.”

The corners of her lips curled with his words, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Do you really think that I would ever let you?” she teased. “Actually, I think you should be more afraid that I’m going to bring light and happiness to your life.”

“You already have, princess…more than you can begin to imagine,” he replied, his lips finding hers once more in a passionate kiss.


	3. Passion

Passion

 _“I crave fiery passion. I don’t need a person as a filler. I need a person who is a firecracker that makes me feel alive.”_ ~ love.relatablequotes 

“Bruce,” Diana whispered, tilting her head as her lips brushed against his.

Her hands slid up his chest to unclasp his cape from his uniform top, her intentions clear as the material fluttered forgotten to the floor. Her fingers slipped up the back of his neck into his hair, tugging gently on the short strands as she returned his kiss with a building passion that had been restrained for what felt like an eternity. 

His arms tightened around her; his hands splayed across her back to keep her pressed against him as his tongue repeatedly slid against hers in a sensual caress. He knew there was no stopping what had been growing for the last four years, no smothering what had been lit inside of him from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her.

He’d tried disregarding his attraction to her as nothing more than simple physical desire, sealing it away deep inside of him never to see the light of day. It had unexpectedly continued to grow despite his best efforts, expanding and intensifying to the point that he could no longer ignore it. His feelings for her were too strong to be so easily dismissed now.

Breaking the intimate contact, Bruce held her face in his hands, worry permeating his eyes as he gazed at her. “Diana…are you sure about this?” he asked somewhat breathlessly.

Her right hand moved to wrap around his forearm, her lips curling into an affection smile. “I’m beginning to think you don’t want to be with me, Bruce,” she teased as she began to trail kisses along his jaw.

“What? No,” he adamantly said as his eyes fell closed, the feel of her mouth finding his earlobe causing him to gasp softly. “What makes you think that?”

She kissed the sensitive spot behind his ear, raking her teeth over it. “Well, you tried to tell me all the reasons why I shouldn’t be in a relationship with you,” she replied, her hands already working to find the fasteners on his uniform top. “Now, you’re trying to delay making love with me. I’m going to start taking it personally.”

Bruce’s mind was becoming foggy with desire and lust as she began to remove his uniform top. He just hoped that she didn’t shred his uniform in her haste to divest him of his clothing. Returning home dressed in nothing but a chiton wasn’t something that he was looking forward to.

His thoughts were growing disconnected, his voice not willing to work as her mouth found his pulse point. He’d wanted this with her for so very long. “No…no, I…I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into by being with me,” he insisted, his fingers tangling in her hair as she kissed and nipped along his collarbone. 

“I know exactly who you are, Bruce Wayne, and I love you…all of you,” she reassured him, seeking out his mouth once more.

“You’re the first person in my life to actually make me feel alive inside,” he admitted. “You make everything right that has been wrong for so long.”

“Just let me love you,” she told him as she worked to remove his utility belt before tossing it aside. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do for so long.”

“I want you, Diana,” he softly gasped.

All Bruce could do was nod his head as her hands skimmed over his bare chest, her fingernails lightly raking over the muscular planes that had laid hidden beneath the Kevlar since meeting him. She began to trace each and every scar as if trying to memorize them, curious about the stories that laid behind each one, but she readily decided now was not the time to ask. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Bruce’s head fell back as she replaced her fingers with her mouth, her warm lips and tongue ghosting over jagged scars both old and new. His breathing became more labored with every press of her soft lips against his skin, his mind swirling and his body smoldering with desire that refused to be restrained a moment longer.

He crushed his lips against hers, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. He slowly began to push her chiton down her body, his mouth following the path of his hands along her collarbone to her shoulder. His hungry gaze roamed over her perfect, feminine curves, drinking her in and feeling a hot surge of desire sear through him.

Her fingers traced along the top of his uniform pants, teasing him with what he wanted more than anything. He pulled back long enough to take his boots off, allowing her to help him remove his pants. He pulled her to him as his mouth found hers, picking her up and carrying her to her waiting bed.

Diana pulled him into a heated kiss as she pulled him fully on top of her, spreading her legs to allow his muscular body to settle against the length of hers. She moaned with the feel of his hard arousal pressing into her, making her more than anxious to feel him deep inside of her.

Bruce kissed down her throat to her chest, pausing to suckle at her breast as stroked the other one with his hand before kissing along her abdomen. His hand stroked her sides before coming to rest on her hips, gripping them firmly as he began to kiss the inside of her thigh.

Diana arched her back as he began a sensual assault that caused unbelievable pleasure to shoot through her body like exploding fireworks. Her fingers clutched at the sheets beneath her, twisting the soft material in her fists as she struggled to hold on for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, Bruce had other ideas as he increased the tempo, pushing her over the edge with his expert skill that left her panting and trembling. He didn’t give her much time to recover as he planted kisses along her hipbone to her breast, spending considerably time nipping and teasing her mercilessly.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, flipping him over onto his back. She kissed him senseless before gently taking hold of him and guiding him to her entrance. She didn’t hesitate to take him inside of her, shifting over him to fully envelope every inch of him.

Bruce hissed as he pressed the back of his head into the pillows, his neck arching with the feel of her so hot and tight around him. His grabbed her hips in a bruising hold that would’ve hurt an ordinary woman, but Diana was far from ordinary. She was the most amazing woman he’d ever known in every way imaginable.

“Diana…” he sharply gasped her name, struggling to catch his breath as they took momentary pleasure in finally being joined as one.

She slowly began to rock her hips as her hands came to rest on his chest, her breasts rising and falling as her breathing grew ragged. She could hardly believe that this was actually happening. Bruce was here with her, making love with her in her bedroom on Themyscira.

She had never dreamed that Bruce would actually come here to bring her back let alone confess his feelings for her. She hadn’t taken a leave of absence to force him into doing anything. It had been solely for her own benefit, for her to find the balance and the focus that she had lost somewhere during her time in Man’s World. 

Now, she had not only found what she was searching for, but she had also found the love that she had been longing for as well.

The sight of her moving over him as they made love was the most arousing thing that he’d ever witnessed, causing him to harden even further if that was possible. She was driving him absolutely crazy, his mind racing as unbelievable pleasure thrummed through his body. He abruptly sat up, his lips capturing hers as he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over onto her back.

She met every single powerful thrust of his hips, her fingernails raking up his spine as he pressed his forehead against her shoulder. He looped his arm beneath her knee, pulling her leg higher up her body and allowing him to sink even deeper inside of her. His hot breath pulsated against her skin as sweat trickled down his back and between her breasts, both completely lost in each other and the love they were making.

Diana’s entire body seized as her climax hit her hard, her clenching internal muscles taking him over the edge with her as they both came undone together. He fully collapsed on top of her, panting heavily as they held on to one another. The warm breeze coming off the ocean was almost cool against their skin slick with sweat as they lay tangled together in her bed.

Recovering, Bruce rolled onto his side to face her, brushing her damp hair from her flushed cheek. “You are so beautiful,” he softly murmured as he lost himself in her eyes that seemed bluer than the ocean just outside her window.

She took his hand in hers, bringing it to her lips to kiss. “I’m so happy you came.”

“Me, too,” he agreed. “I just hope that your mother doesn’t kill me. Not only am I on the island, but I just defiled her daughter.”

“Who says I’m going to let you out of this bed without defiling you?” she asked as she gently pushed him onto his back, shifting over him to settle on top of him once more.

His hands quickly moved to cradle her face, holding her hair back. “How can I possibly refuse the Princess of the Amazons?” he teased as he gazed up into her eyes.

“You can’t refuse me so don’t even try it,” she told him with a mischievous grin.

Bruce’s expression grew somber as he stared up into her beautiful face. “I find myself falling more and more in love with you, princess,” he admitted. “I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t and now I don’t want to. I’m just so sorry it took me so long to admit it.”

“I love you too,” she swore, her lips finding his in another heated kiss as he rolled her over onto her side, his hand finding her thigh before pulling her leg up to hook over his hip.


	4. Tension

Tension

 _“Just give me some tension release.”_ ~ Camper Van Beethoven

Bruce laid on his stomach, his unwavering gaze focused solely on the woman that had somehow managed to steal his heart without him even realizing it at first. He should have known long ago it would take an extraordinary woman…a demigoddess no less…with extraordinary abilities to be able to tame the untamable and seize that which was supposedly unavailable.

He never would’ve guessed that his innocent princess was a thief, achieving the seemingly impossible, but here he was in her bed in the palace on Themyscira. He’d risked everything to be here with her and was still at risk of losing his life if he was caught. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter to him. He was finally at peace with himself for the first time in his life and he wouldn’t trade it or her for anything in this world.

She was breathtaking as she slept, her expression so serene. There was such a sense of peacefulness that seemed to encompass her entire being, a warm glow that was lit from deep within her spirit. To think that he could’ve possibly had a small part in putting that contented expression on her face caused warmth to coalesce in his chest before spreading through his entire body.

He’d almost missed this…almost missed this once-in-a-lifetime love. He’s almost let his foolish obstinance win out, his mind attempting to overrule his heart. He hated to admit it, but he was going to have to thank John for giving him the push that he’d so desperately needed to go after what he loved most.

_“Batman!”_

_The Dark Knight didn’t slow in his pace as he walked through the halls of the Watchtower, a single destination clearly in mind…namely the quarters of a certain Amazon princess. She hadn’t been acting herself over the last few weeks and he wanted answers._

_“Hey,” John said somewhat breathlessly as he fell in step beside the Gotham vigilante. “Do you know what’s going on with Diana?”_

_Batman fought the overwhelming urge to look at him, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead of him and nothing else. His posture remained rigid; his expression fierce. He wasn’t about to reveal anything about what he was feeling inside or the countless worrisome thoughts that had been assaulting his mind the last few weeks._

_“What do you mean?” he rasped._

_“What do I mean?” John repeated with a frown. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way that she’s been acting the last six weeks? You’re the Great Detective. You miss absolutely nothing.”_

_“Fine,” Batman spat out. “Of course, I’ve noticed something. How could I not?”_

_“She won’t talk to anyone about it,” John revealed. “Has she talked to you about what’s going on?”_

_“Not a word,” he admitted, his jaw clenching with growing anger and frustration._

_“She just seems really lost and sort of world-weary I guess I’d describe it,” John thoughtfully replied. “It’s almost like she’s lost interest in everything. She doesn’t even banter or flirt with you anymore.”_

_Batman’s stomach clenched almost painfully, twisting into troubled knots that wouldn’t loosen until he knew for sure that Diana was going to be all right. He knew that John was correct in his assessment. He’d seen it in her eyes…in her actions. The spark of life was gone, and it frightened him._

_He feared what the truth was behind it all or what it could possibly mean._

_“She’s probably just missing home,” Batman told him, wishing that he would just drop it. This was one conversation that he didn’t want to have._

_John shook his head with a deepening frown. “It’s a lot more than just that,” he determined. “It’s like she’s just giving up…doesn’t want to be here anymore.”_

_“She’s not giving up on anything,” Batman stated a little more adamantly than he’d intended. “She’s just a little down right now.”_

_“Yah, that’s it…because Diana gets depressed all the time,” John sarcastically said with a roll of his eyes. “It’s time you wake up and smell the Starbuck’s coffee that’s brewing, my friend. I think she’d giving up on a future with you.”_

_“There is no future with me,” he ground out. “There never was and there never will be. She knows that. A relationship with me is impossible.”_

_“Oh, yes,” John said, pausing to clear his throat. “Let me get this right. It’s all about Gotham and the mission. Anything else would just distract you from what you have to do.”_

_“Mock me all you want, but you know it’s the truth and so does she,” Batman icily countered, finally stopping to turn a heated glare on his friend. “Diana understands that there can never be a relationship between us. I have to stay focused on my mission or Gotham will suffer. I can’t allow that to happen.”_

_“And is that belief going to keep you warm at night when you can no longer be Batman?” John shot back, undaunted by the formidable Caped Crusader before him. “Need I remind you of the bitter old man we ran into in the future when we chased Chronos? He was a lonely, empty shell that once had been you, Bruce…the same you that still has a chance with Diana now if you’d just get your head out of your ass.”_

_“John, it’s not that easy and you know it,” Batman bit out with a sneer._

_“It could be,” he pushed. “You’re the one that’s making it difficult…you and your refusal to allow yourself to take a risk for once in your life.”_

_“I take risks every night,” Batman heatedly stated._

_“That’s not the kind of risk I’m talking about and you know it,” John told him. “This is about risking your heart and you refuse to allow yourself to ever take that risk.”_

_Batman began walking again, anxious to escape this conversation. He didn’t want to be here any longer. He wanted to run away from the feelings that John was stirring up inside of him, the dark storm brewing within. “I’m not talking about this with you anymore.”_

_“Fine; I’ll talk, and you listen,” John continued, knowing he was risking life and limb, but he had to do something to help his friends. “You can’t tell me that you don’t have feelings for Diana because I know you do. I may not be the World’s Greatest Detective, but I know sexual tension when I see it and you two have it in spades, my friend. You two could start fires any time you are both in the same room. Everyone knows it and feels it. You just seem to be extra determined to ignore it.”_

_“Are you finished?” Batman growled, his hands clenching and unclenching in an effort to keep from punching a wall._

_“No, if you don’t do something about it soon, you’re going to lose her forever,” John continued. “Look, I know this is hard for you, but you need to take a chance on her. You already know she’s more than worth the risks and the doubts that I know you are having. If there’s anyone in this whole world who could handle you, you know beyond a doubt that it’s her. If there’s anyone in this world who could handle your rogues in Gotham, it would be her every damn time.”_

_“Hey, guys!” Flash suddenly appeared between the two heroes, an arm wrapping around each of them. “GL, can you take my monitor duty shift this afternoon?”_

_“Sure,” John said, his nose scrunching up. “Why? What do you have to do?”_

_“I’m taking Wondy’s shift tonight,” he revealed._

_“Where’s Diana going?” John asked._

_“Didn’t you hear?” Flash asked, looking between his two friends._

_“Hear what?” Batman ground out._

_“Wondy’s taking a temporary leave of absence,” he revealed._

_“Where is she going?” Bruce demanded to know, his voice a rasping grate that belied the sudden wave of panic swimming through his veins._

_“I think home,” Wally said with a shrug. “All I know is that she requested a leave of absence for an unknown length of time and Supes approved it. It’s a real bummer. It’s going to be so lonely around here without her.”_

_“Where is she now?” Batman growled._

_“She’s gone…she just left,” Wally replied, squeezing both their shoulders. “I gotta run. I’m supposed to be helping with the new supplies that just got delivered to the ‘Tower. Bye!”_

_Batman and Green Lantern stood there as Flash disappeared around the corner. “Damn, Boy Scout,” Batman snapped as he began to storm off._

_“Where are you going?” GL yelled._

_“To shove Kryptonite down a certain superhero’s throat,” Batman spat out as he to disappeared around the corner._

Bruce internally shuddered as he recalled that conversation, remembering all too well the intense surge of panic that had torn through him at that moment. He’d thought for certain that he’d lost her, but he’d allowed his obstinacy to take hold once more, refusing to even consider going after her.

He kept telling himself that she would come back in a few days. Instead, he’d taken his fury with himself and focused it all on her in order to avoid the crushing guilt and fear that her absence had generated inside of him. Unfortunately, his anger had continued to build since then, leading to a massive cleansing of criminal activity in Gotham.

Three very long weeks later, he’d found himself in his Batwing on a direct course for an island that he was banned from stepping foot on. It had been three weeks of pure hell, an internal struggle erupting inside of him that had made eating and sleeping negligible. 

Alfred and Dick had finally intervened, refusing to put up with his mulish attitude and his horrendous mood that was nothing short of unbearable. He had to admit that he’d been pretty insufferable to be around since the day that Diana had left.

Unable to restrain himself a moment longer, Bruce reached out to lightly run his fingers down her spine, taking pleasure in the ripple of gooseflesh that formed on her skin. He smiled to himself as she shivered, sighing sleepily as she opened her eyes to gaze at him.

“Morning,” she softly murmured as her lips curled into a loving smile.

“Morning, princess,” he replied, his nose brushing against hers as his lips sought out hers.

He kissed her deeply, savoring the feel of her moving to press her body against the length of his. He swore to himself that he wanted to wake up to her like this every morning as he rolled her onto her back, fully covering her body with his own.

“I never want this to end,” she confessed as her arms slipped around his neck.

“I know…me too,” he agreed, kissing her once more before gazing out her window at the sun that was just beginning to rise over the distant horizon. “I’m going to have to leave soon.”

“I could hold you hostage here in my room,” she threatened, using her powerful legs to lock his muscular frame against hers.

Bruce grunted with the feel of her holding him tightly against her flawless body. It only added to his growing arousal, making it more than difficult to leave her let alone leave her bed. “I have to go before I’m discovered,” he told her. “I’d like to leave here with all my body parts intact.”

Diana grinned up at him, kissing him on the tip of his nose. “Fine,” she relented with a sigh. “Let me get us some breakfast before you leave.”

Bruce groaned as she shifted out from underneath him, the feel of her nude body rubbing against him only making it that much harder to leave her. “How soon will you be coming home?” he asked as he moved to sit on the edge of her bed that they’d made love in for the last several hours, enjoying the sight of her searching for her chiton amongst the scattered pieces of his uniform.

“In a few days,” she thoughtfully decided as she spotted her nightdress.

Bruce frowned as he watched her slip it on. “You’re going to wait that long?”

“Mother will know something is up if I suddenly announce I’m leaving,” she explained.

“Fine,” he grumbled with a scowl.

Diana smiled softly as she closed the distance between them, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders as she leaned in, kissing the tension away from the furrowed spot between his eyebrows. “I love you, Bruce, and I want nothing more than to leave with you right now, but I need to prepare my mother for my departure.”

“You’re right,” he reluctantly replied as his hands came to rest on her hips, his forehead on her abdomen as he pulled her in close to him. They stayed that way for several long moments, Diana gently running her fingers through his hair. “You better go now before I throw you back down on this bed and take you all over again.”

She leaned down and kissed the crown of his head. “Get dressed,” she told him. “I’ll be right back with breakfast.”

Releasing her, Bruce watched as she left the room, his heart growing heavy with her absence but not nearly as heavy as when she’d left him three weeks ago.


	5. Intelligence

Intelligence

 _“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”_ ~ Albert Einstein

Bruce sat on the edge of the bed lost in his thoughts, somewhat stunned by how drastically his life had changed over night. He knew that he needed to get dressed in his uniform so he could leave right after Diana returned, but it was next to impossible. He wanted nothing more than to stay naked in Diana’s bed for a few days, but he’d pressed his luck long enough. It was time to return home before he was caught.

The sun was rising far too quickly for his liking as he stood to his feet, finding his boxer briefs laying forgotten on the floor. He slipped them on before walking towards the window, his arms folding against his chest. The painful ache that had bloomed in his chest the day Diana had left had been replaced with a kind of serenity that he’d forgotten could even exist.

Being with her last night had been incredible in every way imaginable, far better than when she visited him like a divine apparition in his dreams to make love to him. Now, he was going to have to leave her behind. He found it more difficult than he’d thought it would be now that they’d finally given themselves to each other.

When he’d left Gotham for Themyscira, he’d assumed that she’d just come home with him. He never would’ve guessed that she would stay behind for a few more days. He huffed in irritation as a frown formed on his face. He was being ridiculous. He’d just survived three weeks without her. It would just be a few more days and then she’d be returning home to him. 

Then what? How would they make their relationship work from there?

Bruce frowned to himself, somewhat sheepishly reminded that he hadn’t completely thought this entire thing through when he’d left the manor. He was renowned for having contingency plans for his contingency plans…plans A, B, and C backed up with plans clear through Z. He was always three or four steps ahead of himself…except when it came to her.

He had no contingency plans for Diana stealing his heart or allowing her into his life. It caused all the fears and doubts that he’d tamped down on to suddenly rise up from somewhere deep within him like a brood of deadly vipers threatening to smother his newfound happiness and peace.

Bruce knew they had so much they needed to talk about. Decisions would have to be made about their relationship and how they wanted to handle things. Unfortunately, those decisions would have to wait until Diana returned to Man’s World. In the meantime, he had a lot of work to do, coming up with a secret identity for her if Bruce Wayne was going to have a steady girlfriend.

There was a soft knock at the door before it opened, causing Bruce to turn around. “Diana, we need to talk—”

Bruce abruptly stopped speaking at the sight of Diana entering with a tray of food in hand, a somewhat sheepish expression on her face as her mother entered along with her. Queen Hippolyta’s expression wasn’t quite so pleasant as her vengeful eye fell on him standing there in the middle of her daughter’s chambers dressed in nothing but his boxer briefs.

He instantly froze, momentarily uncertain how to handle the potentially volatile situation. He opted for the Bruce Wayne charm that had gotten him out of more trouble than he could begin to recount. “Queen Hippolyta,” he greeted her as he bowed deeply. “It is a pleasure to see you again. I apologize for my unexpected and I’m sure unwanted appearance on Themyscira, but it was vitally important that I see your daughter.”

“I can see that,” Hippolyta quipped as her gaze fell on his boxer briefs.

Hippolyta appraised him with a pointed glare that he was actually quite impressed by. It wasn’t every day that someone was able to impress him like this, but then again, he’d just besmirched her daughter’s reputation multiple times last night and she possessed the power to have his head put on a pike. Still, he was only mildly concerned at the moment. He’d be in his Batwing and headed home before Diana’s sisters ever caught up to him.

“Don’t even bother insulting my intelligence, Dark Knight, or attempt to ply me with your devious charms,” she stated as she appraised every inch of him. “It is quite obvious what you came here for.”

“I would never consider such a thing, my queen,” he formally replied. “I assure you it’s not what it looks like.” 

Diana bit her bottom lip to keep the smirk from fully reaching her face as she walked towards the table, setting the tray full of food down. “She knows, Bruce…not mention you’re standing almost nude in my bedroom,” she revealed, turning to face him as her hands settled on her hips. “No use trying to talk your way out of it now.”

Hippolyta began to stroll around Diana’s bedroom, her hands clasped before her as she finally came to a stop before him. “You realize that I could have you beheaded, and your body burned to ashes?”

“Yes, my queen.” Bruce vocalized his agreement with her despite knowing that he could escape without a scratch. He cast a sidelong glance at Diana who gave him a small smirk in return. It was obvious that she was thinking the exact same thing but thankfully remained quiet. No use in revealing more than the queen needed to know.

“It would be well within my right as Queen of the Amazons to throw you in the dungeons and let you rot there until your dying breath,” she continued on, her fearsome gaze never once leaving his face.

“I realize that, Queen Hippolyta, but I felt that what I needed to say to Diana could not wait a moment longer nor could it be communicated through any other means except for in person,” he explained.

Hippolyta’s icy glare roamed over him, starting at his face and ending at his feet before returning to his eyes once more. “Obviously,” she said with an air of distastefulness. “I see you had plenty to talk about and it had to be done without clothes on. So, you also felt that it warranted defiling my daughter in the process? I should have you castrated for that alone.”

“Mother…” Diana groaned as she folded her arms against her chest. “He didn’t defile me. I seduced him.”

“It was more of a mutual seduction,” Bruce agreed.

“You’re not helping, Bruce,” Diana hissed as she glared at him.

“I bet it was,” Hippolyta curtly stated, her lips pursed into a grim line. “Where is your mode of transportation?”

“My Batwing is well hidden,” Batman assured her, not willing to give up its position in case he needed to make a quick escape.

“Good,” the queen said. “Hopefully, no one will stumble across it during your time here.”

“My queen?” Batman questioned her, taken aback by her response.

“The smile I discovered on my daughter’s face this morning was the first genuine smile I’ve seen in the three weeks since she’s been here,” Hippolyta divulged as she glanced back over her shoulder at Diana. “It wasn’t that big of leap to assume that you had been here somewhere on the island. When I saw Diana with a tray laden with food this morning, I had my confirmation. The only reason that my daughter could be this happy had to mean that you were still here.”

Batman was more than prepared to do whatever it took to make sure that he didn’t lose life or limb and that Diana wouldn’t be banished from her home again. “I apologize for—” he began, only to be brought to an abrupt stop when Hippolyta raised her hand to silence him.

“Don’t bother,” she interrupted him. “While I don’t necessarily approve, I am relieved that someone has been able to bring my daughter out of the gloomy mood she’s been in since she first arrived. She was beginning to depress all her sisters.”

“I was not!” Diana exclaimed in indignation.

Hippolyta turned to her daughter, closing the distance between them. “I love you, my sun and stars, but it obviously wasn’t my love that you needed to bring that beautiful light back to your eyes,” she gently said. “You’ve been moping around the island for far too long. I’m just thankful to see that you are happy…even if it is because of him.”

Bruce smiled to himself as Hippolyta shot him a glare over her shoulder. He was more than thrilled to know that he’d been able to do that for Diana. She had imparted so much to him over the years since they’d first met, providing him with the faith and hope that he’d lost that horrifying day in a dark alley.

He never would’ve believed that he could ever bring happiness into someone’s life let alone this amazing woman who practically radiated a glow that had become his guiding light. On top of that, she truly loved him in return. She had more than proven that last night, expressing it to him every time they’d made love. He’d never experienced anything quite like it before with another woman.

“So, Bruce can stay for now?” Diana asked, hope lacing her voice.

“As long as you keep him hidden in your room until this evening,” she confirmed.

“This evening?” Diana questioned her.

“Yes, you and the Dark Knight will join me for a formal dinner this evening,” she announced. “Then, you two may leave tomorrow morning with my blessing.”

“Are you sure about this mother?” Diana asked, stunned. “You’ve never entertained a man in your private dining room before.”

“And I’ve never had a man defile my daughter under my roof, but I guess there’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” she retorted, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she cast a sidelong look at Bruce. He swore he saw a somewhat appreciative affirmation there.

Diana blushed profusely, dipping her head in embarrassment as her teeth raked nervously over her bottom lip. Bruce took note of it, finding it utterly alluring. He just couldn’t let it affect him at that moment while dressed in nothing but his boxer briefs with Diana’s mother standing right there in the room with them.

“Thank you for your gracious offer, my queen,” Bruce promised her. “I would be pleased to have dinner with you this evening.”

“Good,” Hippolyta said with a nod before heading towards the door. “I hope that you will come dressed a little more appropriately then you are now. If you choose to come dressed like this, I cannot guarantee that my guards won’t put a spear through your pancreas.”

With that, Hippolyta left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Bruce and Diana alone. Diana’s shoulders sank in utter relief as her worried gaze found Bruce. He was already making his way to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I guess I should’ve gotten dressed while you were gone,” he quipped.

“That’s not funny, Bruce,” she scolded him as she buried herself in his embrace, her face coming to rest in the crook of his neck. “For having such a keen intelligence, you sure know how to get yourself into trouble.”

Bruce chuckled softly as he pulled her in for a toe-curling kiss that quickly silenced all the fears and concerns that Diana had had about her mother finding out about Bruce. Her hands moved to the edge of his boxers, ripping them off his body.

“Hey!” Bruce exclaimed as Diana tossed the shredded material aside. “What am I going to wear tonight to dinner?”

“I’m sure I can find you something else,” she said with a seductive lilt that had Bruce devouring her all over again.

Her chiton suddenly met the same fate as his boxer briefs, landing somewhere on the floor with the pieces of his uniform. She squealed with delight as she unexpectedly felt her back hitting the sheets of her bed, a very aroused Batman looming over her with a predatory gleam in his eyes that caused a shiver to race up her spine.

“It had better not be a chiton, princess,” he said with a growl.

Her lilting laughter morphed into a throaty moan as he attacked her with a lustful vengeance, exploring her all over again as if for the first time. He had her all to himself for the whole day and he was going to take full advantage of that fact.


	6. Honesty

Honesty

 _“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be transparent and honest anyway.”_ ~ Mother Teresa

Leaving her room, Diana’s hand automatically sought out Bruce’s, immediately lacing her fingers with his. He looked down at their joined hands, a twitch of affection settling into the corner of his mouth as he regarded it. So many thoughts and emotions began to cloud his mind as he tightened his hold on her hand, intending not to release it until absolutely necessary.

He had never been one for romantic overtures or demonstrations of affection, but a lot of things had changed in him and in his life over the last twenty-four hours…probably even long before that if he was truly honest with himself. He supposed that it had everything to do with the stunning, raven-haired beauty walking beside him.

She had somehow managed to weave herself into his life like a golden cord being woven into a tattered and frayed tapestry only to make it into somehow unrecognizable and absolutely perfect. It wasn’t something that he had expected, but Alfred had once told him the best things in life are the things that aren’t planned for.

Coming here to Themyscira to bring Diana back had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, one that he didn’t regret in the least even though it had gone against his deep-seated need to plot and plan and strategize everything down to the minutest details. Diana, however, had a way about her that made him want to change some of his ways…to be a better man for her.

While he had never actually made contingency plans when it came to having a possible future with Diana, momentary flicking thoughts of what-ifs and images of such a life would manage to pop into his mind every time she invaded his thoughts. He would always force himself to banish such wishful fantasies, telling himself that he was being foolhardy. He was treading on very treacherous ground that could compromise his mission…or at least that’s what he’d told himself. 

He didn’t want to let himself believe it was possible nor did he want to grow lax in his resolve to stay focused on his mission and Gotham. Planning for a life with Diana felt too much like he was accepting it and he couldn’t have allowed that to happen. It had been easier ignoring the way that his heart was changing where she was concerned than dealing with it or being forced to face. Unfortunately, he’d been forced to deal with it when she’d taken a leave of absence from the League. That was when he’d finally been honest with himself about his feelings for her.

Now, everything had changed so dramatically. Glancing down at the white chiton that he wore; he couldn’t agree with that sentiment more. How the Amazon princess had managed to persuade him into wearing a chiton was beyond him. It had happened somewhere between washing each other in that hidden hot spring and a sultry kiss that had rendered him speechless and unable to process thoughts.

Next thing he knew, they were getting dressed, his uniform still lying in scattered pieces on the floor and he was wearing a Greek chiton and sandals. While he had never in his wildest dreams imagined himself ever wearing a dress, he had to grudgingly admit that it was quite comfortable and rather freeing seeing how Diana had shredded his boxer briefs this morning.

Diana glanced at her handsome lover out of the corner of her eyes, a seductive smirk playing on her lips as she led him towards the royal private dining room. Bruce cut an impressive profile in the chiton that her mother had managed to find for him to wear. The white material cut across his upper body, leaving part of his muscular chest exposed along with the scars that he bore. The chiton fell above his knees, exposing just enough of his powerful legs to leave her tingling inside for more of him.

“You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to have to do something about it right here,” Bruce warned her in a low voice, his gaze locked straight ahead of him.

Diana dipped her head in embarrassment as she bit at her bottom lip in that way that only aroused him even more. She shyly hooked a raven curl behind her ear, doing her best to compose herself, but it was next to impossible after having spent the entire day with him sans clothes.

“Well, if you weren’t so handsome in that chiton, I wouldn’t be so distracted by thoughts of taking you into a side room myself,” she confessed.

Bruce felt a shiver of desire race through his veins as he looked at his once innocent princess. Little did he know that there was a fierce and feisty lover hiding there inside, shielded from the world behind those big blue, innocent looking eyes of hers. It was a heady combination that was better than any ambrosia man could ever concoct. It heated his blood just thinking about it.

“So, are you holding my hand because you can’t keep your hands off me or are you trying to protect me from your sisters?” he asked.

A slight shrug of her shoulder and an impish grin was his only response to that question. He pulled her to a sudden stop, his lips crashing into hers. He savored the taste of her on his tongue and the feel of her body in his arms, knowing that this euphoric setting was going to have end soon. The real world was awaiting their return along with very real threats and responsibilities. It made him shiver with dread just thinking about it.

“Cold?” she breathlessly asked as she broke away.

“No,” he confessed. “Just anxious to get you back to your room.”

Diana rolled her eyes as they made their way to the dining room. “I thought you’d be tired of me by now,” she replied with an undercurrent of worry in her voice.

It nearly stopped Bruce cold that the always confident Amazon warrior would have doubts and worries, fears and trepidations. It had never really occurred to him, making him feel guilty about the times that he had been harsher to her than was necessary, shoving past her in order to make a quick escape so she couldn’t see how deeply she was affecting him. He’d kept so much hidden from her over the years.

He pulled her to a stop again, his large hand coming to rest against her jaw. “Never,” he swore to her, wanting her to see the truth of it in his eyes. “I know I’m not good at this…about revealing my feelings, but I love you, Diana. I only want to be with you for as long as you’ll have me.”

A soft smile graced her face as she kissed him, her arms slipping possessively around his neck. He deepened the kiss as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against him and nearly lifting her off the ground on she stood on her tiptoes. 

“All right, you two,” Hippolyta interrupted with a stern, motherly tone. “I’d tell you to get a room, but you’ve already done that and I’m sure you’ll continue once you return there. Come along now. Dinner is being served.”

Bruce released Diana who was flushed pink from both the kiss and her mother’s interruption. She quickly took him by the hand again, leading him inside the private dining room. Bruce was impressed with the extravagance that awaited them; the table already laden with food, but no Amazons in sight.

His stomach growled in response as Diana led him to a seat next to her only for her mother to intervene, taking Bruce’s hand and positioning him to sit on her left and Diana on her right. “There,” she said. “Now you two won’t be tempted to indulge while we eat.”

“Mother…” Diana groaned. “We are both adults here. We know how to keep our hands to ourselves especially while we eat.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she replied, taking her seat at the head of the table. “I’m actually surprised you two were able to come up for air and decided to join me for dinner.”

“If I may ask, where are all the guards?” Bruce asked as he looked around, his alter ego kicking into high gear. He wanted to be prepared in case of a trap. “I haven’t seen a single Amazon in the palace since we left Diana’s room.”

Hippolyta waved a dismissive hand as she reached for her goblet of wine with the other. “I had this section of the palace sealed off so you wouldn’t be seen,” she responded. “It’ll allow us some privacy without prying eyes and questions I’d rather not answer right now. Besides, I know how important your secret identity is to you.”

Bruce was taken aback by her answer, grateful for her thoughtfulness. She had gone to a lot of effort for him and he greatly appreciated her consideration not to mention the fact she hadn’t cut his tongue out yet or removed any other important body parts. “I appreciate consideration, Queen Hippolyta.”

“Please, call me Hippolyta,” she insisted. “I believe we’re far beyond formalities here since you’ve already violated the laws of Themyscira as well as my daughter.”

Diana nearly choked on her wine with her mother’s response, causing her to cough violently. “Mother, you can stop now,” she told her with a frown. “For the last time, it was completely mutual.”

Taking another drink of her wine, Hippolyta frowned. “I know, but it’s just going to take me a little time to get used to the notion that my daughter is in love with a mortal man,” she defended herself. “Now, eat. Malia has been slaving in the kitchen all afternoon preparing your favorites.”

“May I ask how you knew that it was me that was here to see Diana and not someone else?” Bruce asked as he took a stuffed grape leaf. The question had been lingering in his mind ever since her unexpected appearance in Diana’s bedroom this morning, nagging at his investigative mind.

“I’m afraid Diana isn’t very good at hiding her feelings,” Hippolyta revealed with a fond smile. “She’s far too honest to hide what she feels inside.”

“But I never told you it was Batman, mother,” Diana pointed out before taking a bite of moussaka.

“Yes, you did, but I don’t believe that you realized it,” Hippolyta replied. “Each time you told me stories about the Justice League or missions that you were part of, it was always Batman did this or Batman did that…Batman saved a child…Batman is so selfless and brave. I was beginning to think the only members of the Justice League were you and Batman.”

Diana blushed profusely, finding sudden fascination in her spanakopita. She swore her face was on fire as she reached for her wine, peering through her eyelashes to find Bruce staring lustfully at her with that damn sexy smirk of his. It did little to settle the flames licking at her insides as she took a long drink.

Damn that man to Tartarus. She’d have to make him pay for it later.

“I can’t believe Malia didn’t bring the best wine,” Hippolyta uttered with dismay as she stared at her goblet. “I told her I wanted our very best for tonight. Diana, would you be so kind to retrieve it for us from the kitchen?”

Diana looked nervously from her mother to Bruce who nodded slightly at her, Hippolyta astutely noticing the small exchange. “I promise you Bruce will be safe here with me,” she swore. “He’ll still be in one piece when you return.”

Diana obediently rose to her feet, laying her cloth napkin on the table, clearly unconvinced. “I’ll be right back,” she replied. “Don’t interrogate him too harshly while I’m gone, mother.”

Hippolyta merely grinned at her daughter as she left the dining room before turning her attention on the mortal man sitting to her left. “What are your intentions towards my daughter now that you’ve taken her purity?” she demanded to know as she folded her arms. “Are you planning on marrying her?”

It was Bruce’s turn to nearly choke on his wine as he set his goblet down, wiping the red droplets off his chin with his cloth napkin before turning to look at the queen. Now, he knew where Diana got her boldness from, he thought to himself as he searched for an answer that wouldn’t get him killed.


	7. Commitment

Commitment

 _“Love is a commitment to protecting another person’s heart with the same passion you use to guard your own.”_ ~ Rob Hill, Sr.

Hundreds of thoughts had assaulted Bruce’s mind as he had flown to Themyscira to bring Diana back, but none of those thoughts had even remotely included marriage. He wasn’t necessarily against the notion of marriage or even having Diana as his wife. To say that the thought had never crossed his mind in the past would have been a lie, but he still couldn’t stop his blood from pounding in his ears or the way that his heart hammered in his chest.

Hippolyta smiled politely at him, waiting for an answer to her question…an answer that didn’t seem to be coming any time soon. Knowing that Diana would be returning all too soon, she decided to skip the pretense and delve right into the heart of the issue. 

“I know all about your dubious reputation as Bruce Wayne and I have to admit that I have reservations about you,” she explained. “If I didn’t already know that you were Batman, I would forbid Diana from ever seeing you again. However, your heroic actions have earned you a chance to at least explain yourself.”

Bruce couldn’t figure out for the life of him how she even knew about his playboy status. It wasn’t like news from Man’s World traveled to Themyscira on a regular basis. He ultimately decided that it was a query best saved for another day. Right now, he needed to protect the tenuous relationship that he’d been able to establish so far with the queen.

“I can assure you that my reputation as a womanizer and a playboy is nothing more than an act to protect myself and my family,” Bruce assured her. “I can’t have people linking Bruce Wayne with Batman or it could endanger my family even more than they already are as my partners against crime in Gotham.”

Hippolyta nodded thoughtfully as she considered his explanation, understanding his desire to keep his loved ones safe. “So, these other women that you’ve been rumored to be with are nothing more than…what do you call them…smoke screens?”

“Some of them—yes,” he agreed with a contemplative nod as he considered just how much he should reveal to her. He wanted to settle any doubts that the queen had in her mind about him but discussing his life story wasn’t on the top of his list of things he was anxious to do. “I will be honest with you. I’ve had past relationships with women that haven’t worked out…one woman that I was even engaged to.”

The queen noticed how his expression grew somber, a flash of pain alight in his eyes that stunned her. “What happened to her?” she softly asked, feeling as though she was treading on sacred ground.

“It didn’t work out,” he said, his tone somewhat curt as his gaze grew distant as if being taken back in time to that moment when his life had fallen apart. “There were family issues that caused Andrea to leave. I loved her…was prepared to make a life with her even if it meant giving up being Batman. Losing her was a very painful experience, one that I swore I’d never go through again.”

Bruce’s lips quirked at the corners as he paused in his story, adoration reflecting in his eyes. “But then your daughter dropped out of the sky and into my world and my life hasn’t been the same since.” 

Hippolyta shared his smile with the heartfelt confession he’d just shared with her. “Diana does have a way of doing that,” she agreed. “I know how vitally important being Batman is to you. You must have really loved Andrea if you were willing to give up that life.”

“I did love her, but that was in the past,” he found himself confessing.

He’d found himself revealing a lot of things since first coming to Themyscira that he normally never would have revealed, and he wasn’t certain that he liked it very much. It made him feel weak…vulnerable. He hated that feeling, but he was wholly committed to making this work with Diana. For her, he would do anything.

“And Diana?” she pressed.

“I love Diana more than my own life,” he confessed with an absolute certainty that he felt bone-deep.

“Do you think you deserve her?” Hippolyta questioned him.

“No, I don’t,” he stated without hesitation, his eyes never wavering under her piercing stare that sought to reveal the truth behind his words. He released a sigh as he shook his head in obvious bewilderment, hoping to unlock the mystery that had baffled him all this time. “I honestly don’t understand what she sees in me or why she loves me, but I swear to you that I will work every single day to be worthy of her.”

Hippolyta was taken aback by his response, expecting a completely different answer from him. “I admit that I appreciate your honesty, Bruce,” she replied, “but I must tell you that when Diana first arrived on Themyscira three weeks ago I had never seen her so disheartened in all my life. All the light had gone out of her eyes as if the fiery spirit that I know burns inside of her had been snuffed out. Even though she would never say it, I know that part of it was because of you.”

“Hippolyta…” he began, wanting desperately for her to stop. He couldn’t bear to hear how he’d nearly crushed her spirit.

The queen held up her hand to silence him. “Please, let me continue,” she told him. “As a mother, there is nothing more painful than to see your child hurting so deeply and not being able to do anything about it. I am relieved that you and my daughter have been able to work things out, but I want you to know that if you hurt her again, you will have the full extent of my wrath coming down upon you.”

Bruce swallowed hard, his chest clenching painfully. He knew that he’d hurt Diana with his actions, but he’d had no idea the depths of that hurt until now. “Hurting Diana is the last thing that I want to do,” he swore to her. “I know that I’ve made mistakes and I didn’t handle my feelings for her the way that I should have, but I love her. I only want to make her happy.”

The sound of the door opening signaled Diana’s return, a wary expression on her face as she approached the table with a bottle of wine in hand. “Sorry it took me so long,” she apologized as she settled into her seat at the table, shooting her mother a displeased glare. “It seems that someone hid the best wine in the back of the wine cellar. It took me forever to find it.”

“Hmmm…I wonder how that could’ve happened,” Hippolyta innocently replied with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Diana looked at Bruce, appraising him to make sure that he was all right. His expression revealed nothing, but his eyes held a hint of lingering grief that angered her. “I hope my mother behaved herself while I was gone,” she pointedly stated, her gaze conveying her concern for him. “Mother has a tendency to go for the jugular, but she means well.”

He gave her a faint smile in a failed attempt to reassure her. “We had a very good talk,” he assured her.

“I was merely inquiring about Bruce’s life back home,” she simply replied. “I have to admit I think you’ve chosen very well, Diana. Bruce is a man of honor and complete commitment to those he cares about. I can see why you love him.”

“Thank you, your highness,” Bruce responded, once again finding himself moved by her words as Hippolyta filled his goblet with the wine that Diana had retrieved. He took a drink, surprised by the taste. “I think this is the best wine that I’ve ever had.”

“It’s Diana’s favorite,” Hippolyta revealed with a chuckle. “Isn’t it, my sun and stars?”

“Don’t even think about it, mother,” Diana warned her.

“What is it?” Bruce asked, suddenly intrigued.

“Mother, don’t you dare,” Diana ground out.

“I would love to hear stories about Diana when she was young,” Bruce approved with a grin as he lifted his goblet to Hippolyta who clinked her goblet against his in agreement.

Diana’s narrowed glare did little to frighten Bruce nor did it deter her mother from delving into the memorable event. “Diana was about eleven years old at the time of the Festival of Dionysus,” she told him. “She begged me to try the wine, but I told her she was too young. Well, little miss stubborn here had her mind made up that she was going to try some whether I approved or not. While I was presiding over the evening’s events, Diana snuck away and stole one of the bottles of wine.”

“Mother, please…” Diana grumbled in protest.

“Diana not only takes a drink, but she nearly finishes off the whole bottle,” Hippolyta continued as if not hearing her daughter’s plea. “By now, my daughter is so inebriated that she begins dancing right in the middle of the festival during a rather dramatic poetry reading.”

Bruce couldn’t suppress the laughter that bubbled up at the image that popped into his head, his sorrow from the previous conversation forgotten. “I always pictured you as being so obedient and proper as a child, princess,” he said.

Diana gave him a sullen look, clearly unamused by everyone’s enjoyment at her expense. “I was,” she insisted. “Mother just likes to exaggerate things.”

“I think not,” Hippolyta countered with a snort of disagreement. “She was a constant source of mischief and trouble. If she wasn’t dragging some poor, disabled animal that she’d found somewhere on the island into her bedroom in the palace she was leaping from trees or running here and there and everywhere like a wild animal. I thought I was going to have to put a leash on her.”

“Okay, new topic,” Diana interjected. “Bruce, why don’t you tell us a story about you?”

“No, this is far more entertaining,” he ultimately decided. “Besides, you’ll just use it to blackmail me against the boys.”

“Fine, I’ll get my information from Alfred,” she smugly said, folding her arms against her chest.

“Don’t you dare,” Bruce warned her in that deep baritone voice that sent shivers through her.

“Or what?”

“I can think of several things off the top of my head,” he retorted. “How about I start with telling everyone about your intoxicated dance.”

“I will make you pay if you do, Bruce,” she ground out. “It won’t be pretty.”

“I’m not scared, princess,” he shot back with a cocky grin as he leaned across the table. “I typically win when we spar anyways.”

“You do not!” she exclaimed. “I took three out of five rounds the last time we sparred.”

“Only because I let you.”

“Hera, you and your ego,” she grumbled with a huff. “You can’t stand the thought of me beating you.”

Hippolyta repeatedly clinked her goblet with the tines of her fork, gaining the attention of the quarreling couple. “Do I need to send you two to your room to work this out?” she asked, a single eyebrow arching as she looked from her daughter to Bruce and back again.

Diana stood to her feet, her hands finding her hips. “Please do!” she exclaimed. “I’d be more than happy to teach this man a lesson he won’t ever forget.”

Hippolyta grinned knowingly at them, witnessing firsthand the fire that burned between the two lovers. “I can definitely see the sparks flying,” she commented, standing to her feet as well. “Get out of here you two. You’ve kept me company long enough. Go enjoy your last night on Themyscira together.”

Diana made her way around the table, grabbing Bruce by the hand. “Thank you, mother,” she sheepishly replied.

“I’m going to be the one teaching you a lesson, princess,” he huskily murmured in her ear.

“Just don’t get pregnant,” Hippolyta called after them. “I’m not quite ready for grandchildren yet.”

Bruce and Diana nearly stumbled in their step as they stopped before the door, whirling around on their heels to stare in shock at the queen. Hippolyta grinned as she raised her goblet to them before taking a drink of her wine.

**TO BE CONTINUED IN THE FALL 2019**


End file.
